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Harry M Arndt Middle

Q: Is Harry M Arndt Middle a good school?

Harry M Arndt Middle ranks 368 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

368^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 53% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Harry M Arndt Middle serves 601 students in grades 7–8 in Hickory, North Carolina, as part of Catawba County Schools. The school currently holds a 3-star rating, ranking 368th out of 778 middle schools statewide for 2025–2026. Arndt serves an almost entirely economically disadvantaged student body, with 99.5% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch — a far higher concentration than some other schools in the district like Jacobs Fork Middle (52.9%) or Mill Creek Middle (45.9%).

Academically, Arndt shows a mixed picture. Science is the school's most consistent strength, with 72.4% of 8th graders proficient, above the state average of 68.6%. Seventh grade reading proficiency (56.7%) also tracks near state averages. The clearest area of concern is 8th grade reading, where just 51.1% of students are proficient, trailing the district (55.3%), the state (56.1%), and many nearby schools such as West Alexander Middle (69.6%) and Mill Creek Middle (63.3%). The school serves its gifted students exceptionally well, ranking in the 80th percentile, and has shown dramatic recent improvement with English language learners and special education students.

Attendance and funding are also worth noting. Arndt's chronic absenteeism rate is 26.0%, well above the Catawba County Schools average of 18.0% and higher than strong nearby schools like West Alexander Middle (17.0%). The most recent spending data suggests Arndt uses roughly $7,986 per student — less than several peers with similar needs. The comparison with West Alexander Middle is instructive: it has nearly identical poverty levels (99.4%) yet ranks in the 74th percentile statewide with far stronger reading and math scores. That shows Arndt's challenges are real but not insurmountable, and improving attendance and 8th grade literacy will be key levers going forward.

601

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3350 34th Street Drive NE
Hickory, NC 28601-9802

(828) 256-9545

District: Catawba County Schools

Students who attend Harry M Arndt Middle usually attend:

High:

Saint Stephens High

Feeder schools for Harry M Arndt Middle:

Elementary:	Clyde Campbell Elementary
	Saint Stephens Elementary
	Snow Creek Elementary
	Webb A Murray Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.8%

Hispanic:

33.9%

Two or more races:

8.3%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Harry M Arndt Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 75th percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg58%

368^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 25% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

87^th of 246Catawba County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.2	368 of 778	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.2	392 of 773	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	331 of 793	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	322 of 784	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	248 of 786	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.8	227 of 741	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.0	212 of 737	71.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	183 of 691	73.5%	★★★★☆
2017	67.7	218 of 694	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.8	170 of 692	75.4%	★★★★☆
2015	65.3	224 of 705	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	56.1	256 of 627	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.0	174 of 673	74.1%	★★★★☆
2012	76.5	130 of 662	80.4%	★★★★☆
2011	76.2	130 of 648	79.9%	★★★★☆
2010	77.5	116 of 640	81.9%	★★★★☆
2009	76.5	125 of 630	80.2%	★★★★☆
2008	78.7	99 of 620	84.0%	★★★★☆
2007	74.8	114 of 606	81.2%	★★★★☆
2006	70.3	157 of 598	73.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.5	377 of 553	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	441 of 546	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	403 of 560	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.6	364 of 559	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.3	118 of 550	78.5%	★★★★☆
2021	50.6	206 of 533	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.1	113 of 519	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	86 of 494	82.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	99 of 121	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.2	90 of 111	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	91 of 110	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	91 of 110	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	78 of 109	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.2	59 of 99	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	60 of 102	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	76.5	29 of 95	69.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	30.5	322 of 449	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.7	229 of 478	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.1	164 of 504	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.5	159 of 475	66.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	143 of 363	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.6	287 of 371	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.4	249 of 356	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	172 of 318	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.9	93 of 312	70.2%	★★★★☆
2021	38.9	136 of 236	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	76.1	18 of 211	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	57.1	34 of 151	77.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.8	349 of 731	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.0	370 of 733	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.8	318 of 738	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.2	327 of 731	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.2	259 of 733	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.3	209 of 706	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	64.1	233 of 684	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.2	176 of 656	73.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	91 of 465	80.4%	★★★★☆
2025	74.2	54 of 458	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.4	65 of 461	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	74.6	47 of 452	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	66.1	129 of 450	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	76.1	40 of 448	91.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	297 of 566	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.8	294 of 562	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	261 of 564	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	212 of 553	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.9	136 of 541	74.9%	★★★★☆
2021	56.5	185 of 522	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.2	203 of 493	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.2	218 of 472	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.6	375 of 725	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.5	323 of 729	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.4	275 of 743	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	284 of 735	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.6	132 of 689	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	75.0	91 of 633	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	67.3	151 of 639	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	123 of 604	79.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	360 of 736	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.4	385 of 733	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.8	325 of 751	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.7	302 of 747	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.8	215 of 748	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	62.3	235 of 711	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.5	186 of 697	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	69.2	189 of 665	71.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	277 of 333	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.9	220 of 328	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.2	205 of 306	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.1	138 of 302	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.6	125 of 283	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.3	82 of 248	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.6	86 of 237	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.1	68 of 221	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	240 of 500	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	23.4	436 of 478	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	344 of 473	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	276 of 644	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.9	354 of 649	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.6	293 of 652	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	349 of 656	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.5	266 of 658	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.6	211 of 632	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.6	205 of 624	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.7	159 of 596	73.3%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Gifted and Talented (2026)80th percentile+28 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)61st percentile+8 vs school

White (2026)57th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)51st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)48th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)32nd percentile-21 vs school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile-40 vs school

Asian (2026)18th percentile-35 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)17th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science72%+4 vs state

Mathematics55%~ state avg

Reading54%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Harry M Arndt Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Harry M Arndt Middle	Public	7-8	3350 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9545	601	36	16.7	99.5%	275 (45.8%)	44 (7.3%)	204 (33.9%)	28 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.3%)	53.2	368^th of 778 public middle schools	52.7%		49.2	392^nd of 773 public middle schools	49.3%	24		56.2	53.1		56.7	51.1	72.4	$7,986	$496	$7,490
Northview Middle	Public	6-8	302 28th Avenue NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 327-6300	481	28	17.3	99.4%	191 (39.7%)	86 (17.9%)	110 (22.9%)	24 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (14.1%)	42	463^rd of 778 public middle schools	40.5%		40.4	468^th of 773 public middle schools	39.5%	5	59.1	43.8	49.4	53.2	47.9	52.1	60.2	$8,178	$747	$7,431
Newton-Conover Middle	Public	6-8	873 Northern Dr NW	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 464-4221	559	37	14.9	99.5%	206 (36.9%)	71 (12.7%)	180 (32.2%)	47 (8.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.7%)	53.2	370^th of 778 public middle schools	52.4%		52.7	360^th of 773 public middle schools	53.4%	10	60.5	61.2	60.2	45.2	57.4	54.7	64.7	$7,899	$565	$7,334
Grandview Middle	Public	6-8	451 Catawba Valley Boulevard S	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 328-2289	347	24	14.5	99.1%	112 (32.3%)	79 (22.8%)	100 (28.8%)	23 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.2%)	24.3	611^th of 778 public middle schools	21.5%		36.1	504^th of 773 public middle schools	34.8%	107	42.6	53.9	36.0	36.9	38.2	46.3	50.0	$9,432	$1,144	$8,288
West Alexander Middle	Public	6-8	85 Bulldog Lane	Taylorsville	28681	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 495-4611	467	29	16.3	99.4%	382 (81.8%)	10 (2.1%)	39 (8.4%)	12 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.7%)	70.8	203^rd of 778 public middle schools	73.9%		79.5	141^st of 773 public middle schools	81.8%	62	59.6	70.0	76.3	51.6	60.0	69.6	82.2	$8,079	$717	$7,362
River Bend Middle	Public	7-8	4670 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-2754	450	27	16.6	99.3%	211 (46.9%)	29 (6.4%)	85 (18.9%)	74 (16.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (10.9%)	47.7	417^th of 778 public middle schools	46.4%		43.2	448^th of 773 public middle schools	42.0%	31		53.8	59.4		41.0	49.8	73.1	$8,304	$825	$7,479
Granite Falls Middle	Public	6-8	4 West Highland Ave	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2341	518	34	15.3	99.4%	402 (77.6%)	16 (3.1%)	65 (12.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.0%)	47.2	420^th of 778 public middle schools	46.0%		65.9	243^rd of 773 public middle schools	68.6%	177	58.6	42.1	53.5	49.7	53.9	63.0	61.8	$9,031	$920	$8,111
East Burke Middle	Public	6-8	3519 Miller Bridge Road	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 397-7446	630	40	15.9	99.2%	459 (72.9%)	14 (2.2%)	59 (9.4%)	58 (9.2%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	32 (5.1%)	64.9	249^th of 778 public middle schools	68.0%		50.7	383^rd of 773 public middle schools	50.5%	134	74.1	58.9	57.9	56.2	61.1	59.5	74.4	$8,638	$679	$7,959
Jacobs Fork Middle	Public	7-8	3431 Plateau Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 462-1827	482	30	16.3	52.9%	327 (67.8%)	28 (5.8%)	60 (12.4%)	32 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.3%)	61.9	279^th of 778 public middle schools	64.1%		68	221^st of 773 public middle schools	71.4%	58		68.4	51.2		59.0	58.6	73.8	$8,548	$885	$7,663
Hudson Middle	Public	6-8	291 Pine Mountain Road	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-4281	551	33	16.6	98.9%	456 (82.8%)	6 (1.1%)	66 (12.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.6%)	55.2	350^th of 778 public middle schools	55.0%		47.8	407^th of 773 public middle schools	47.3%	57	56.3	50.5	59.3	59.9	49.2	61.0	75.6	$9,317	$1,021	$8,296

Frequently Asked Questions about Harry M Arndt Middle

How many students attend Harry M Arndt Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 601 students attended Harry M Arndt Middle.

What high school do graduates of Harry M Arndt Middle attend?

Students who attend Harry M Arndt Middle usually go on to attend Saint Stephens High

Is Harry M Arndt Middle a good school?

Harry M Arndt Middle ranks 368^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Harry M Arndt Middle in?

Catawba County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Harry M Arndt Middle?

Students at Harry M Arndt Middle are 46% White, 34% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 7% African American, 5% Asian.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.